Reaction varies to Bryant's State of the State

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, a Republican from Jackson, noted that Bryant used a quote by the late President Ronald Reagan ("Tear down this wall") when talking about open enrollment, letting children cross into other public school districts: "It's the same things he campaigned on — education, health care, public safety.... He's willing to take some bold steps."

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Sen. Hillman Frazier, D-Jackson, said he was cautious about Bryant's emphasis on school choice. "In Mississippi, we have very limited resources and we have to make sure we're strengthening the primary system we have in place," Frazier said.

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Rep. Alyce Clarke, D-Jackson, said she was happy about the year's worth of economic development announcements that Bryant recounted, but said she wanted to see something to aid the city of Jackson in particular. "It's my belief that if we strengthen the capital city, we will strengthen our state," Clarke said.

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Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Eugene "Buck" Clarke, R-Hollandale, said lawmakers would consider Bryant's repeated calls to financially support economic development and public safety agencies. "Last year, with Public Safety, the Highway Patrol, we increased their budget by $3 million or $4 million," he said.

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Rep. Tommy Reynolds, D-Charleston, said he disagrees with Bryant's stance on Medicaid expansion under the federal health care law President Barack Obama signed in 2010. Bryant opposes the expansion, and Reynolds supports it. Reynolds said people who have private health insurance are already paying to cover costs of treatment for uninsured residents who might wait to seek treatment after developing late-stage cancer or other severe problems. "We need to be realistic," Reynolds said.